As part of the ongoing celebrations commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Nepal and Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kathmandu organised a solo exhibition featuring works of Sri Lankan artist Dr Manoranjana Herath. 

Titled FACE, the exhibit features pieces which are visual experiments for the artist, whose niche lies in sculpting. Inspired by the cubism movement, started by Pablo Picasso, the paintings make use of a wide array of bright colours and collages to depict the emotions that human beings tend to hide. For instance, one of the paintings features 18 masks from Sri Lanka’s national myths that represent the 18 most common diseases that plague Sri Lankans in a regular basis. In another, all the zodiac signs are fused together to form a face. 

“Pain, though universal, is a personal endurance. We live in a scientific era, but we still believe in fate. These paintings are inspired by my experience in Sri Lanka, but they echo the universal human experience,” said Herath, who is also a senior lecturer at the Department of Sculpting, in the University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  

Speaking at the inauguration of the exhibition, the Sri Lankan ambassador to Nepal WS Pereira said, “The role of the artist in the modern world is to unravel the complexities of our times, and Dr Herath has done a wonderful job of presenting the horrors of modernity.” Echoing Pereira’s sentiment, Bhakavat Tanksul, the Thai ambassador to Nepal, said that he was “shocked” by the paintings. “If you look from far away, they look as appealing as a nice painting of a scenic landscape, but when you are close enough, these paintings provide the shock value,” he added. 

Along with the Sri Lankan and Thai ambassador, Nepali actor Santosh Pant, artist Neera Joshi Pradhan, art professors from Lalit Kala Campus, Laya Mainali and Om Khatri, and the professor of Buddhist studies at TU, Chandra Kala Ghimire, among others, were present at the inauguration of the exhibition. 

Some of Herath’s works will also be showcased during a collective exhibition to be held on the first week of December at the same venue.

The ongoing exhibition will continue till November 27 at Park Gallery, Pulchowk.